14 Facts About Bernard Holden

Bernard John Holden MBE was an English railway engineer and manager with Southern and British Railways and a founding father of standard gauge railway preservation in the United Kingdom.

Bernard Holden was President of the Bluebell Railway in Sussex for over twenty years until his death.

Bernard Holden came from a family steeped in railway service as both his great grandfather, grandfather and father Charles were railway men.

In 1912 his father moved to the busier Steyning Station in West Sussex and Bernard Holden attended Steyning Grammar School matriculating in 1925 before following in the family tradition and joining the Southern Railway as a ballast train clerk studying transport law and signalling.

At the outbreak of the Second World War Bernard Holden relocated to London where his duties included supervising the evacuation of children from London and from his Redhill base, the supervision of trains bringing back soldiers from Dunkerque in 1940; 865 trains passed through in ten days.

Bernard Holden was commissioned into the Indian Army and spent much of the war engaged in operating railways in northern India, carrying troops and supplies to the front.

In July 1945 Bernard Holden served in 8 Indian Engineers Group who were engaged in the invasion of Malaya.

Bernard Holden entertained Vera Lynn before the Battle of Kohima in March 1944 becoming a lifelong friend of the singer.

Bernard Holden was discharged from the army as a captain after VJ Day.

Bernard Holden later recounted his experiences of running railways during the war in a biography published in 2004.

Bernard Holden resumed his civilian railway career and joined British Railways upon nationalisation in 1948.

John Leeroy was the first chairman of the Railway and Bernard Holden was Signalling Engineer.

Bernard Holden was described as one of the greatest figures in the rail preservation movement of all time As President he witnessed the re-laying of track to a new terminus at East Grinstead, although he died a few months before official services were re-instated.

Bernard Holden died aged 104 at Ditchling, East Sussex, on 4 October 2012.